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Jim Irwin’s Conquest running up.
owning a Cessna 210. I had that for ten years; then, I had a Cessna 340 for five years. After that, I jumped into the big Cessna twins with a 421 for three years. That’s when the Conquest came around. I bought N425WT in 2000, so I’ve had it for 23 years. You can see the progression, I’ve been a loyal Cessna
guy all the way, and the Conquest has done everything I expected. It’s easy to fly and has been reliable for all those years.
We upgraded the engines to Black- hawk 135s in 2009, a great addition. We have upgraded the avionics a few times. Right now, we have a Garmin GTN 750 and a 650. Other than that, it has just been a super re- liable airplane. DeBritton Aviation in Chino handles maintenance. They’ve done it all these years. I generally fly 130 to 150 hours per year.
LP: What are your thoughts on jumping into the turbofan world, maybe a small Citation down the line?
JI: My sons keep asking me: Don’t youwanttoflyaJet?Isayformy mission, for what I do, I am comfort- able in the Conquest; it does what I want it to do, and I can afford to get somewhere half an hour later than a jet. I don’t think I would move to a jet, but I guess you never know. But I really do love the Conquest.
LP: What else would you like to get across to the Twin & Turbine readers? JI: I love the magazine. There’s al- ways something of interest and value
in Twin & Turbine.
A lot of people might have the per-
ception that Aircraft Spruce is what we were 50 years ago—the homebuilt supplier that sold kits and maybe a few small general aviation products. Today, we carry products for twins, turboprops and light jets. We have batteries, tires, ignitors, wheels and brakes, too. Much of our current prod- uct line applies to that end of the mar- ket. We’re here and ready to serve.
It has been a dream career for me to spend my life in general aviation. To be in this business has been great for the family, and we look forward to the third generation continuing as we move forward.
LP: Thanks so much for spending time with me, Jim, and I look forward to seeing you at the shows.
September 2023 / TWIN & TURBINE • 27